Support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument

ABSTRACT

A support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument including a body supported at its both sides by leg frames, comprises a pair of journals provided at the respective sides of said body, angular contact bearings each having an inner race for securing the journal and an outer race, and frictional contact members cooperating each other, one of which is attached to the outer race of said bearing, and the other of which is attached to the leg frame. The rotation of the frictional contact member attached to the outer race of bearing allows the body of the musical instrument to be frictionally engaged with or disengaged from the leg frame.

United States Patet SUPPORT MECHANISM OF AN ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 248/371, 248/188 Int. Cl ..Fl6m 13/00 Field ofSearch.... 108/106;

Primary Examiner-Edward C. Allen Auorney- Flynn & Frishauf ABSTRACT: A support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument including a body supported at its both sides by leg frames, comprises a pair of journals provided at the respective sides of said body. angular contact bearings each having an inner race for securing the journal and an outer race, and frictional contact members cooperating each other, one of which is attached to the outer race of said bearing, and the other of which is attached to the leg frame.

The rotation of the frictional contact member attached to the outer race of bearing allows the body of the musical instrument to be frictionally engaged with or disengaged from the leg frame.

PATENTEUuuv 2s |97l Haws/41 TONE ATTORNEY}- mfg SUPPORT MECHANISM OF AN ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT This invention relates to a support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument and more particularly to a support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument including a body supported at its both sides by leg frames.

Such an electronic musical instrument, which is generally fabricated separately from a speaker system, allows a player to give performance in either a standing or sitting position. Therefore, where the electronic musical instrument is assembled so as to cause its key board to be set in the best condition for performance in a sitting position, performance in a standing position is obstructed due to the wrist deeply twisted. This is because the musical instrument is assembled with the body fixedly secured to the leg frames.

An object of this invention is to provide a support mechanism of an electronic musical instrument so improved as to enable the body of said musical instrument to be adjustably inclined at a desired angle with respect to the axis of journals rotatably mounted on leg frames at both sides of said body, thereby allowing a player to give performance in wither a standing or sitting position with the wrist comfortably situated.

The adjustment of the inclined body may be preferably controlled with simple and easy actuation. For this purpose, said support mechanism may involve angular contact bearings and frictional contact members cooperating each other.

This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in connection with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

H6. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic musical instrument with a support mechanism embodying this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of said support mechanism.

The drawing indicates an electronic musical instrument such as an electronic organ which is fabricated separately from a speaker system (not shown). Said musical instrument includes a body 1 having a key board 2, and a pair of leg frames 3, one being shown in the drawing, each said leg frame consisting of an angular supporting plate 3a and tubular leg members 3b. On the leg frame 3 is disposed a support mechanism 4 consisting of two units for pivotally supporting both sides of said body 1 on said leg frames 3. Said support mechanism 4 comprises a pair of journals 5 (one being shown) provided at the respective sides of said body 1, angular contact bearings 6 (one being shown) each having an inner race 60 supportingly securing the journal 5 and an outer race 6b, and two pairs of cooperating frictional contact members 7a and 7b (one pair being shown).

The contact member 7a is attached to the outer race 6b, and the contact member 7b to the leg frame 3. The contact members 7a and 7b concerned with each unit of said support mechanism 4 are preferably fomied into a disk plate having a through bore drilled at the center portion, and have cooperatin g flat faces 9 slightly inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore 8.

The contact members are made of a friction material so as to cause the faces 9 to be frictionally engaged with each other.

rei'erahly, the contact member 7a has a circular recess 10 formed in the other face thereof in a coaxial relationship with the bore 8, so that the outer race 6b is disposed in said recess 10. The journal 5 extends through the bores 8 of said disks toward the outside of said leg frame 3, and has a screw 5a threaded on the end portion of the journals. With said screw 5a are engaged nuts 11 which press the inner race 6a toward the outer race 6b by the medium of the balls 12 of said heating 6. An operating lever 13 is attached to the peripheral portion of the contact member 7a. The journal 5 is preferably welded with a mounting plate 14 of metal, which is detachably attached to the side portion of the body 1 by means of ser screws 15.

In operation, where a player gives performance in either a standing or sitting position, the first rotating operation of the lever 13 causes the inclined cooperating faces 9 to wholly contact with each other, so that the frictional thnist pressure between the contact members 7a and 7b is reduced and the body 1 is disengaged from the leg frame 3 so as to allow the journal 5 to be free from the leg frames.

in contrast, while the body 1 is kept inclined at a desired angle with respect to the axis of the journal 5 for performance in a sitting or standing position, the second rotating operation of the lever 13 causes the contact member 7a to be rotated relative to the other contact member 7b so as to bring the joint of said two inclined faces 9 to a partly displaced state. As a result, a frictional thrust force is produced between the contact members 7a and 7b, and the mounting plate 14 is forcedly pressed toward the angular supporting plate 30, so as to fixedly support the journal 5, Le, the body 1 to the leg frame.

Although the support mechanism 4 is provided with the same type units in this embodiment, one unit of said support mechanism may be formed into a difi'erent type from the other unit as described above. Said unit may, for example, consist of a general-type bearing. in this case, the other unit described in this embodiment only will be actuated so as to adjust and define the relative position of the body to the leg frames.

What is claimed is:

1. A support mechanism for a body (I), such as the body of an electronic musical instrument, supported a both sides thereof by leg frames (3), said support mechanism (4) comprising:

a journal (5) projecting from said body (1);

nut means (11) threadably engaged with said journal (5);

an angular contact bearing (6) mounted on said journal and disposed between said nut means (11) and said body (I), said bearing (6) having an inner race (60) and an outer race (6b) which are rotatable relative to each other;

a pair of first and second frictional contact members (70, 7b) frictionally engageable with and disengageable from each other and having a through hole, said journal (5) being inserted in said through hole, said first frictional contact member 7a) being connected to said outer race (6b) of said bearing (6) and said second frictional contact member (7b) being connected to the corresponding leg frame (3), said first frictional contact member (7a) being rotatable about said journal (5) against the frictional engagement force acting between said frictional contact members (7a, 7b);

said nut means (11) pressing said inner race (6a) toward said frictional contact members (7a, 7b) to urge said frictional contact members together and against said leg frame to produce said frictional engagement force; and

means (13) coupled to said first frictional contact member (7a) to rotate said first frictional contact member (7a) about said journal (5) relative to said second frictional contact member (7b) and against the frictional engagement force acting between said frictional contact members (7a, 7b) to selectively engage said body (1) with said frictional contact member (7b).

2. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pair of frictional contact members (7a, 7b) have respec tive end faces, one end face being closer to said nut means (11) and the other end face being closer to said body (I), the distance between said end faces being adjustable by rotation of said frictional contact member (70) relative to said second frictional contact member (71;).

3. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said frictional contact members (70, 71)) has a face inclined to the plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of said journal (5), the inclined faces of said frictional contact members being engaged with each other.

4. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first frictional contact member (7a) has a recess therein, around said journal (5) for receiving said bearing (6) in said recess.

5. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotating means is a lever (13) projecting from said first frictional contact member (7a). 

1. A support mechanism for a body (1), such as the body of an electronic musical instrument, supported a both sides thereof by leg frames (3), said support mechanism (4) comprising: a journal (5) projecting from said body (1); nut means (11) threadably engaged with said journal (5); an angular contact bearing (6) mounted on said journal and disposed between said nut means (11) and said body (1), said bearing (6) having an inner race (6a) and an outer race (6b) which are rotatable relative to each other; a pair of first and second frictional contact members (7a, 7b) frictionally engageable with and disengageable from each other and having a through hole, said journal (5) being inserted in said through hole, said first frictional contact member (7a) being connected to said outer race (6b) of said bearing (6) and said second frictional contact member (7b) being connected to the corresponding leg frame (3), said first frictional contact member (7a) being rotatable about said journal (5) against the frictional engagement force acting between said frictional contact members (7a, 7b); said nut means (11) pressing said inner race (6a) toward said frictiOnal contact members (7a, 7b) to urge said frictional contact members together and against said leg frame to produce said frictional engagement force; and means (13) coupled to said first frictional contact member (7a) to rotate said first frictional contact member (7a) about said journal (5) relative to said second frictional contact member (7b) and against the frictional engagement force acting between said frictional contact members (7a, 7b) to selectively engage said body (1) with said frictional contact member (7b).
 2. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pair of frictional contact members (7a, 7b) have respective end faces, one end face being closer to said nut means (11) and the other end face being closer to said body (1), the distance between said end faces being adjustable by rotation of said frictional contact member (7a) relative to said second frictional contact member (7b)
 3. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said frictional contact members (7a, 7b) has a face inclined to the plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of said journal (5), the inclined faces of said frictional contact members being engaged with each other.
 4. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first frictional contact member (7a) has a recess therein, around said journal (5) for receiving said bearing (6) in said recess.
 5. The support mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotating means is a lever (13) projecting from said first frictional contact member (7a). 